We’re asking tough questions about Oklahoma’s role in immigration detention. Your support makes it possible.

In September, I drove almost three hours to a state prison in Alva near the Kansas border to try to speak with one person — Oklahoma Department of Corrections director Justin Farris. 

The state Board of Corrections was holding a meeting there, and I knew it could be my only chance to ask Farris in person about the contract the Department of Corrections had signed with the federal government to house immigration detainees at the privately run Diamondback Correctional Facility in Watonga. The  Department of Corrections acted as a middleman in the deal that allowed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to rapidly begin housing detainees at the facility, which is owned by the for-profit prison contractor CoreCivic. Several experts told me these types of contracts help ICE bypass competitive bidding and contracting requirements.  I worked with photographer Greg Constantine on the story, and we spoke with former detainees, employees and attorneys who spoke of staffing shortages and delays in access to medical care and medication, among other issues.  

The Department of Corrections is making nearly $10 million a year from the contract, but the agency had dodged my questions for months about its oversight role at the detention facility. 

When I approached Farris after the meeting, he only said that the state agency monitors day-to-day operations at the facility.  The conversation became tense when I asked for more details.  He told me all of the information I needed was in the Department of Corrections’ contract with ICE. The agency had previously denied my open records request for the full document. Months later, I am still waiting for the federal government to fulfill my Freedom of Information Act request for the contract. 

But I’m not giving up. The Frontier is suing the Department of Corrections for access to the contract.

Over the past year, I’ve written about how the Trump Administration’s policies have affected thousands of immigrants in Oklahoma, including refugees and victims of domestic violence and human trafficking, losing access to Medicaid and food assistance. I also wrote about the Oklahoma Health Care Authority finding few immigrants improperly enrolled in Medicaid after a review requested by the federal government. 

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Ari Fife

Ari Fife interned at The Frontier and was hired by the outlet in 2023. She covers politics and social issues. She can be reached at Ari@readfrontier.com